WD: How to Create Crop Marks in Microsoft Word

ID: Q92600

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

Word includes no automatic feature that adds crop marks to your document. This article presents two methods you can use to create crop marks in your Word for Windows document.

MORE INFORMATION

Crop marks are short lines at the corners of a page that show where the outer edges of the paper should be trimmed: 

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Below are four methods you can use to create crop marks in your Word document. Method 1 is easier to set up; however, you may not be able to position the crop marks close enough to the text of the document. Method 2 allows greater precision in the positioning of the crop marks; however, Method 2 is more difficult to set up.

The companion disk for "Word for Windows 2.0 Macros," by Russell Borland, includes a macro to create crop marks called InsertCropMarks. For more information about this macro, which is located in EDITMAX.DOC, see page 440 of "Word for Windows 2.0 Macros."

Method 1: Insert a Three-Column Table in Header and Footer

Using this method, you can create crop marks by inserting a three-column, one-row table in the header and footer of your document and adding borders. Use the appropriate method for the version of Word that you have:

Word 2.x 

 1. In the document header, insert a table that contains one row and three
    columns.

 2. Change the column widths by doing the following:

    a. Select column 1.

    b. From the Table menu, choose Column Width.

    c. Set the Width of Column 1 to .5" and then click Next Column.

    d. Set the Width of Column 2 to the distance between the left and right
       margin (for example, specify 6 inches if your left and right margins
       are 1.25 inches and your paper width is 8.5 inches) and then click
       Next Column.

    e. Set the Width of Column 3 to .5" and then click OK.

 3. On the Table menu, click Select Table.

 4. On the Table menu, click Row Height and in the Indent From Left box,
    type -.5"; in the Height Of Row box, select Exactly; in the At box,
    type .5" and choose the OK button.
 
    NOTE: You can vary the position of your crop marks by adjusting the
    Indent From Left setting and the column width of columns 1 and 3. The
    column width of columns 1 and 3 must be the same. The Indent From Left
    setting must be the negative of the column width setting (for example,
    if the column width is 1", the Indent From Left setting must be 1").

 5. Place your insertion point into Column 1 and on the Table menu, click
    Select Column.

 6. On the Format menu, click Borders and select a right and bottom border
    and then click OK.

 7. Place your insertion point into Column 3 and on the Table menu, click
    Select Column.

 8. On the Format menu, click Borders and select a left and bottom border
    and then click OK.

    The header table should look like this:

         |               |
    _____|               |_____
 
 9. On the Table menu, click Select Table and then on the Edit menu, click
    Copy.
10. On the View menu, click Header/Footer, select Footer, and then click 
    OK.
11. On the Edit menu, click Paste Cells.

12. Place your insertion point into Column 1 and on the Table menu, click 

    Select Column.
13. On the Format menu, click Borders and select None and then select a 
    right and top border and then click OK.
14. Place your insertion point int0 Column 3 and on the Table menu, click 
    Select Column.
15. On the Format menu, click Borders and select None and then select a 
    left and top border and then click OK.

    The footer table should look like this:

    _____                 _____
         |               |
         |               |
Word 6.x, 7.x 

 1. On the View menu, click Header and Footer and then on the Table menu,
    click Insert Table. In the Number of Columns, type 3, in the Number of
    Rows, type 1, and then click OK.

 2. Change the column widths by doing the following:

    a. Select column 1.

    b. From the Table menu, choose Cell Height and Width.

    c. Set the Width of Column 1 to .5" and then click Next Column.

    d. Set the Width of Column 2 to the distance between the left and right
       margin (for example, specify 6 inches if your left and right margins
       are 1.25 inches and your paper width is 8.5 inches) and then click
       Next Column.

    e. Set the Width of Column 3 to .5" and then click OK.

 3. On the Table menu, click Select Table.

 4. On the Table menu, click Cell Height and Width and in the Indent From
    Left box, type -.5"; in the Height Of Row box, select Exactly; in the
    At box, type .5" and click the OK button.
 
    NOTE: You can vary the position of your crop marks by adjusting the
    Indent From Left setting and the column width of columns 1 and 3. The
    column width of columns 1 and 3 must be the same. The Indent From Left
    setting must be the negative of the column width setting (for example,
    if the column width is 1", the Indent From Left setting must be 1").

 5. Place your insertion point into Column 1 and on the Table menu, click
    Select Column.

 6. On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading and select a right and
   bottom border and then click OK.

 7. Place your insertion point into Column 3 and on the Table menu, click
    Select Column.

 8. On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading and select a left and 
    bottom border and then click OK.

    The header table should look like this:

         |               |
    _____|               |_____
 
 9. On the Table menu, click Select Table and then on the Edit menu, click
    Copy.
10. On the Header and Footer toolbar, click the "Switch Between Header and 
    Footer" button.
11. On the Edit menu, click Paste Cells.

12. Place your insertion point into Column 1 and on the Table menu, click 

    Select Column.
13. On the Format menu, click Borders and select None and then select a 
    right and top border and then click OK.
14. Place your insertion point into Column 3 and on the Table menu, click 
    Select Column.
15. On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading and select None and then 
    select a left and top border and then click OK.

    The footer table should look like this:

    _____                 _____
         |               |
         |               |

Method 2: Create Four Framed, Single-Cell Tables

Word 2.x

1. On the View menu, click Header/Footer. Select Header and choose the 

   OK button.
2. Insert two single-cell tables in the header. Apply the following table 
   and border formatting to each table:

   a. On the Table menu, click Column Width. In the Width Of Column 1
      box, select .5 inch. In the Space Between Cols box, select 0 inches
      and choose the OK button.

   b. On the Table menu, click Row Height. In the Indent From Left box,
      select 0 inches. In the Height Of Row 1 box, select Exactly. In the
      At box, type a value, such as .5 inch, that represents the distance
      from the top edge of the paper where you want the top crop marks to
      appear. (For example, if you want a crop mark to appear .5 inch
      from the top edge of the paper, type .5" in the At box.) Click the
      OK button.

   c. Select the first table. On the Format menu, click Border. Select
      one of the line styles. Select the bottom and right sides in the
      Border box and click the OK button.

   d. Select the second table. On the Format menu, click Border. Select
      one of the line styles. Select the bottom and left sides in the
      Border box and click the OK button.
3. Frame the tables. Choose the No button when Word for Windows asks if you 
   want to switch to page layout view.

   a. Select the first table. On the Format menu, click Frame. Select
      the following frame options and click the OK button:

         Horizontal Position: Left
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
         Vertical Position: 0"
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"

   b. Select the second table. On the Format menu, click Frame. Select
      the following frame options and click the OK button:

         Horizontal Position: Right
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
         Vertical Position: 0"
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
4. On the View menu, click Header/Footer. Select Footer and click the 
   OK button.
5. Insert two single-cell tables in the footer. Apply the following table 
   and border formatting to each table:

   a. On the Table menu, click Column Width. In the Width Of Column 1
      box, select .5 inch. In the Space Between Cols box, select 0 inches
      and click the OK button.

   b. On the Table menu, click Row Height. In the Indent From Left box,
      select 0 inches. In the Height Of Row 1 box, select Exactly. In the
      At box, type a value, such as .5 inch, that represents the distance
      from the bottom edge of the paper where you want the bottom crop
      marks to appear. (For example, if you want a crop mark to appear .5
      inch from the top edge of the paper, type .5" in the At box.)
      click the OK button.

   c. Select the first table. On the Format menu, click Border. Select
      one of the line styles. Select the top and right sides in the Border
      box and click the OK button.

   d. Select the second table. On the Format menu, click Border. Select
      one of the line styles. Select the top and left sides in the Border
      box and click the OK button.
6. Frame the tables. Click the No button when Word for Windows asks if you 
   want to switch to page layout view.

   a. Select the first table. On the Format menu, click Frame. Select
      the following frame options and click the OK button:

         Horizontal Position: Left
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
         Vertical Position: Bottom
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"

   b. Select the second table. On the Format menu, click Frame. Select
      the following frame options and click the OK button:

         Horizontal Position: Right
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
         Vertical Position: Bottom
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
Word 6.x, 7.x 

 1. On the View menu, select Header and Footer.

 2. On the Table menu, click Insert Table. In Number of Columns, type 1 and
    in Number of Rows, type 1, and then click OK.

 3. On the table menu, click Cell Height and Width and select the Column
    tab.

 4. In the Width of Column 1, type .5"; in Space Between Columns, type 0",
    and then click OK.

 5. Press the Right Arrow on your keyboard twice and then press Enter once.

 6. On the Table menu, click Insert Table. In Number of Columns, type 1 and
    in Number of Rows, type 1, and then click OK.

    Note: You should now have two, one column tables in the Header.

 7. On the table menu, click Cell Height and Width and select the Column
    tab.

 8. In the Width of Column 1, type .5"; in Space Between Columns, type 0",
    and then click OK.

 9. On the Table menu, click Select Table (this should highlight the second
    table).
10. On the Insert menu, select Frame.

11. On the Format menu, click Frame, set the following settings, and then 

    click OK.

         Horizontal Position: Right
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
         Vertical Position: 0"
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
12. On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading; select one of the line 
    styles; select the bottom and left sides in the Border sample box, and
    then click OK.
13. Place your insertion point into the first table that you created and on 
    the Table menu, click Select Table.
14. On the Insert menu, select Frame.

15. On the Format menu, click Frame, set the following settings, and then 

    click OK.

         Horizontal Position: Left
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
         Vertical Position: 0"
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
16. On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading; select one of the line 
    styles; select the bottom and right sides in the Border sample box, and
    then click OK.
17. On the Header and Footer toolbar click the "Switch Between Header and 
    Footer" button.
18. Repeat steps 2-9.

19. On the Insert menu, select Frame.

20. On the Format menu, click Frame, set the following settings, and then 

    click OK.

         Horizontal Position: Right
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
         Vertical Position: Bottom
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
21. On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading; select one of the line 
    styles; select the top and left sides in the Border sample box, and
    then click OK.
22. Place your insertion point into the first table that you created and on 
    the Table menu, click Select Table.
23. On the Insert menu, select Frame.

24. On the Format menu, click Frame, set the following settings, and then 

    click OK.

         Horizontal Position: Left
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
         Vertical Position: Bottom
            Relative To: Page
            Distance from Text: 0"
25. On the Format menu, click Borders and Shading; select one of the line 
    styles; select the top and right sides in the Border sample box, and
    then click OK.

Method 3: (Word Version 6.x and 7.x) Using Drawing Tools

1. On the View menu, click Page Layout.

2. On the File menu, click Page Setup and set the Margins at the points 

   where you would like the crop marks to appear.
3. Make sure the Show/Hide button on the Standard toolbar is depressed so 
   that you can see the paragraph symbol. Insert a carriage return in the
   document so that there are two, and select the first carriage return in
   the document.
4. From the Table menu choose Insert Table and choose OK. This will place a 
   table temporarily in the document to assist in drawing and placing the
   crop marks.
5. Using the drawing tools, draw a rectangle from the upper-left corner of 
   the paper to the upper-left corner of the table. Format the line style
   of the rectangle. Adjust the position and size of the rectangle if
   necessary.
6. Click once on the rectangle, on the Edit menu, click Copy, and then on 
   the Edit menu, click Paste. The new rectangle may have been pasted over
   the old rectangle.
7. Move your cursor over the rectangle until you see a four-pronged arrow 
   head. Drag the top rectangle to one of the three unfilled corners of the
   page.
8. Repeat steps 6-7 two more times so that all four corners have 
   rectangles.
9. Select and delete the table. 

   Note: If the 2 top rectangles disappear when you delete the table, click
   paste on the Edit menu and position the new rectangle in the corner. 
   Repeat this step if necessary.
If you want the crop marks to be in a different position than the margins, reset the margins before continuing.

Method 4: Using a Postscript Printer and a Print Field

This method works in all versions of Word and requires a postscript printer.

Press CTRL+F9 (Windows) or COMMAND+F9 (Macintosh) to insert the field braces ({}) and type the instructions to add crop marks. The print field should look like the following: 

   {PRINT \p PAGE "% Crop Marks
   5 setlinewidth
   /markl 9 def
   /whitel 4 def
   /top 72 def
   /bottom 72 def
   /left 90 def
   /right 90 def
   %horizontals
   left markl sub whitel sub wp$y wp$top sub moveto markl 0 rlineto
   wp$x right sub left sub whitel 2 mul add 0 rmoveto markl 0 rlineto
   left markl sub whitel sub bottom moveto markl 0 rlineto
   wp$x right sub left sub whitel 2 mul add 0 rmoveto markl 0 rlineto
   %verticals
   left bottom markl sub whitel sub moveto 0 markl rlineto
   0 wp$y wp$top sub bottom sub whitel 2 mul add rmoveto 0 markl
   rlineto
   wp$x right sub bottom markl sub whitel sub moveto 0 markl rlineto
   0 wp$y wp$top sub bottom sub whitel 2 mul add rmoveto 0 markl
   rlineto
   stroke
   "}

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word for Windows User's Guide," version 2.0, pages 313-342, 361- 380, 389-420, 571-584

"Word for Windows 2.0 Macros," Russell Borland, Microsoft Press, 1992, page 441

Additional query words: winword2 winword word95 cropmarks insertcropmarks word7 word6 post script 

Keywords          : kbprint kbframe kbformat 
Version           : WINDOWS:1.0,1.1,1.1a,2.0,2.0a,2.0a- CD,2.0c,6.0,6.0a,6.0c,7.0,7.0a;MACINTOSH:6.0,6.0.1,6.0.1a
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: February 7, 1998